I got a copy of “The Ivory Carver’s Daughter” from the author herself and I have to say that I enjoyed reading it very much even though I don’t read such kinds of books. Not everyone’s life is interesting enough to warrant a book about them, but author Johanna Fath Koziol is different. She has gone through so much that it was a good idea she decided to write a book about it and share her life with the rest of the world.

As far as I’m concerned letting other people read about your life and getting to know your family history takes courage. If you keep writing about the ‘good’ stuff, people will feel that you’re probably lying. This is what I found interesting in the book; Johanna Fath Koziol didn’t hide anything. She didn’t even hide her own flaws, and kudos to her for that.

The book introduces the Koziol family and how the business expanded and over the years and then turned into something very different. As for the character, or the author herself, Johanna was born in a privileged family but being the ‘sandwich kid’ she was always seeking approval. The words she has used really take you on the journey where we see young Johanna experiencing confusion as she tries to be noticed. We follow Johanna as she grows up, gets married, becomes a mother, and then has her whole world shaken due to the death of her baby daughter.

But that doesn’t stop her from moving on with her life as she gives birth to her second child, a son, but again fate draws an unfortunate card and an accident changes her life even more. I loved her relationship with her son Dennis in the book. I always admire parents who have more of a ‘friendship’ like relationship with their kids. Why do parents always have to be strict? Why can’t they be friends with their own blood?

Johanna has indeed experienced life in more faces than most people. She has seen the highs as well as the lows of life. She has been with men who have used and abused her, but the important thing to take from her life is that when all is said and done, she has indeed lived a ‘life’ worthy of sharing with others, and continues to do so. She didn’t let things bring her down so much that she forgot how to get back up again. She’s a survivor and that’s her true strength!

I’ve talked to her over emails and we’ve exchanged gifts. She truly is a wonderful person to interact with. One would think all the hardships in her life must’ve hardened her heart, but instead she’s one of the most friendly people I’ve had the chance to talk with.

I highly recommend reading “The Ivory Carver’s Daughter” by Johanna Fath Koziol as you will definitely learn something of use from her experiences in life.